Coupling for connecting together building units

ABSTRACT

As described herein, a coupling member for building units includes a ram member which is movably mounted within one of the building units and which has an end adapted for placement within the open end portion of the other building unit. The ram member is provided with a surface in the form of two sloping planes arranged at right angles to each other and obliquely positioned in the longitudinal direction of the ram member. Also provided is a screw member which is adapted to abut either of the sloping planes of the ram member to thereby effectively lock the ram member in either of two positions. The other end of the screw member is adapted to project into a hole arranged in the building unit.

United States Patent Kroopp [4 1 June 27, 1972 COUPLING FOR CONNECTINGTOGETHER BUILDING UNITS [72] Inventor: Karl-Gunnar Kroopp, Farsta,Sweden [73] Assignee: Graflset System AB, Bandhagen, Sweden [22] Filed:Dec. 14, 1970 [21] Appl. No: 97,888

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 19, 1969 Sweden ..l7599/69[52] U.S. Cl. ..287/56, 287/54 A 3,537,736 11/1970 Kroop ..287/54 CFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATION S 403,207 6/1966 Switzerland ..287/124197,421 5/1923 Great Britain. ..287/52.08

1,426,294 12/1965 France ..287/] 89.36 H

Primary Examiner-Andrew V. Kundrat Attorney-Brumbaugh, Graves, Donohue &Raymond [57] ABSTRACT As described herein, a coupling member forbuilding units includes a ram member which is movably mounted within oneof the building units and which has an end adapted for placement withinthe open end portion of the other building unit. The ram member isprovided with a surface in the form of two sloping planes arranged atright angles to each other and obliquely positioned in the longitudinaldirection of the ram member. Also provided is a screw member which isadapted to abut either of the sloping planes of the ram member tothereby effectively lock the ram member in either of two positions. Theother end of the screw member is adapted to project into a hole arrangedin the building unit.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures P'A'TENTEDJum 1972 INVENTOR. KARL- GUNNARKROOPP his ATTORNEYS COUPLING FOR CONNECTING TOGETHER BUILDING UNITSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to means forcoupling building units together in the form of sections which areprovided with skirts or grooves and which are mainly intended for use inassembling structures utilized for exhibition and business purposes,temporary dwellings, erection of partitions and the like.

Building units for use in this connection are previously known and therequirements placed upon such units are principally that they are (1)easy to handle, (2) readily assembled and dismantled, (3) capable ofproviding a durable and stable structure even after repeated erectionand dismantling, and (4) that they include as few parts as possible.

To satisfy the above-mentioned requirement of easy handling, thebuilding units are usually designed in the form of light-metal sectionsor bars, which by means of special couplings can be assembled to form aneasily dismantled structure. The coupling means used for this purposeare usually screw couplings; the requirements of which being that theyare capable of providing a stable structure even after being erected anddismantled a number of times and, furthermore, that they include as fewparts as possible with as many variations of coupling as possible.

The coupling disclosed in my recently issued US. Pat. No. 3,537,736entitled Means for Joining Together Building Units," satisfies to agreat degree the requirements of stability and easy handling. However,the member of the coupling which functions as a ram and which isprovided with a guide shoulder is capable of being locked only in oneposition which limits its utility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toovercome the foregoing drawback in my prior coupling member.

This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished byproviding a coupling means comprising a member which functions as a ramand which is intended to be placed within theopen end portion of thebuilding unit and a screw cooperating with the ram member. The rammember is provided with a surface in the form of two sloping planesarranged at right angles to each other and obliquelypositioned in thelongitudinal direction of the ram member. One end of the screw isadapted to abut either of the sloping planes of the ram member tothereby effectively lock the ram member in two positions. The otherendof the screw member is adapted to project into a hole arranged in thebuilding unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal section of the coupling together withthe ram member and associating screw, as well as portions of twobuilding units coupled together by means of the coupling means arrangedaccording to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the coupling means alongthe line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In an illustrative embodiment ofthe coupling means of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, thecoupling means is inserted in a building unit which is to be connectedto another building unit 12. The coupling comprises a ram member I3, acasing 14 and a screw 15 cooperating therewith. The ram member 13 isprovided at its outer end with a guide shoulder 16 intended to engage ina guide way on the building 13 and of the screw 15.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the ram member 13 is provided with anotherrecess 19 presenting a similar surface (not shown) at right angles tothe surface 18 and obliquely positioned in the longitudinal direction ofthe ram member.

The casing 14 is provided with an internally threaded hole which whenthe casing and the ram member 13 are inserted in the building unit 10 islocated right before a hole 20 in the building unit 10 and above therecess 117 in the ram member.

When the screw 15 is screwed in the threaded hole of the casing 14against the sloping plane 18 in the recess 17, the ram member 13 isdrawn further into the building unit 10. Because the guide shoulder 16of the ram member engages in a guide way on the unit 12 to be connectedto unit 10, the said unit 12 is drawn in towards the unit 10.

In order to prevent the edges of the hole 20 in unit 10 from beingdeformed by the threads of the screw 15, the casing 14 is provided withan internally threaded. tube 21 extending up through the hole 20. Thetube being either welded to or forms an integral part of the casing 14and being placed concentrically with the hole in the casing.

In the rear end of the ram member 13 there is a spring 22 which at itsone end abuts the ram member and at its other end an abutment 23 of thecasing 14. When the screw 15 is loosened the spring 22 urges the rammember 13 outwards and the two building units can be dismantled.

In accordance with the invention, the ram member 13 is provided with thetwo recesses 17 and 19 which make the ram member 13 capable of beinglocked in two positions at right angles to each other.

The invention is not limited only to involve the feature shown in thedrawing. Thus a plate or a disk can be substituted for the casing 14,which plate is provided with an internally threaded hole similar to thatof the casing. When the plate is inserted for use it is located on theram member with its hole above the recess and right before the hole ofthe unit 10. The casing form, however, is more advantageous when thebuilding units are subjected to a particularly great stress.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for connecting building units having open end portions,at least one of said units having a first opening formed lengthwisetherein extending from the open end portion and including a secondopening formed in one side of the unit and extending into the firstopening, the improvement comprising a ram member disposed within thefirst opening of the one of the building units and including engagementmeans for engaging the other of the building units, means formingrecesses in at least two sides of the ram member, one of the recessesproviding a surface in the form of a sloping plane obliquely positionedin the longitudinal direction of the ram member and the other recessproviding a similar surface at right angles to the sloping plane surfaceof the one recess and obliquely positioned in the longitudinal directionof the ram member, a casing member engaging the ram member and having anopening formed in one side thereof to provide a passageway between thesecond opening of the building unit and either one of the recessesformed in the ram member, and a screw cooperating with the openingsformed in the building unit and the casing, the screw adapted to abuteither of the sloping plane surfaces of the recesses formed in the rammember when the engagement means of the ram member engages the other ofthe building units.

2. The improvement according to claim 1 further comprising spring meansconnected between the ram member and the casing for urging theengagement means of the ram member out of engagement with the other ofthe building units.

1. In apparatus for connecting building units having open end portions,at least one of said units having a first opening formed lengthwisetherein extending from the open end portion and including a secondopening formed in one side of the unit and extending into the firstopening, the improvement comprising a ram member disposed within thefirst opening of the one of the building units and including engagementmeans for engaging the other of the building units, means formingrecesses in at least two sides of the ram member, one of the recessesproviding a surface in the form of a sloping plane obliquely positionedin the longitudinal direction of the ram member and the other recessproviding a similar surface at right angles to the sloping plane surfaceof the one recess and obliquely positioned in the Longitudinal directionof the ram member, a casing member engaging the ram member and having anopening formed in one side thereof to provide a passageway between thesecond opening of the building unit and either one of the recessesformed in the ram member, and a screw cooperating with the openingsformed in the building unit and the casing, the screw adapted to abuteither of the sloping plane surfaces of the recesses formed in the rammember when the engagement means of the ram member engages the other ofthe building units.
 2. The improvement according to claim 1 furthercomprising spring means connected between the ram member and the casingfor urging the engagement means of the ram member out of engagement withthe other of the building units.